Nov. 3, 2001

Stats

BOONE, N.C. - California (13-4) dominated Stanford (11-8), shutting out the Cardinal, 2-0, in the NorPac Conference championship game at Kidd Brewer Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Junior Lisa D'Anjou gave the Bears a 1-0 lead when she took a pass from Michelle Wald in the midfield and cruised all the way downfield, into the circle, hitting in a carom off of Stanford defender Melissa Stai, and over Stanford keeper Rebecca Shapiro at 15:20. The goal proved to be the game-winner as Cal clamped down the rest of the way, against an inept Stanford offense, to win the 2001 NorPac Conference title.

"Michelle (Wald) got it from Alyssa Sprenger and dribbled it through about four players, and then passed it to me on the outside. I just dribbled towards the goal, and Stai bumped it a little bit and I just hit it up into the goal."

In the second half, the Stanford defense allowed a second field goal, with less than seven minutes remaining in the game. Freshman standout Maggie Grimes put the final nail in the coffin as she ran through 40 yards of Cardinal territory, two defenders and the keeper, nudging in the ball for a, 2-0, lead.

"I just held onto the ball and kept on going and after that, I don't remember what happened," said Grimes, who scored her second goal of the season. "It was really good, and I was really shocked (to score)."

Stanford was awarded seven penalty corners against the Bears' four, but were unable to get a ball past Cal defenders and keeper Emily Rowlen, who had three saves for her fifth shutout of the year.

The Bears outshot the Cardinal, 6-4, with all six Cal attempts coming from a different player.

"This is awesome," said D'Anjou. "It just feels good because we all wanted to prove to Stanford that we had heart and that we wanted it more than them - and we did."

Cal's performance in the first two tournament games were lackadaisical, relatively to other games during the regular season. Head coach Shellie Onstead said she was searching for ways to jump start the squad for the championship game.

"I told the team to just believe in their abilities and to stick to our game plan," she said. "And to remember what got us here is what's going to get us to the next game."

The Bears jumped out and controlled the tempo of the game, pushing the Cardinal back into its own zone on numerous occasions.

"I think that we kept the pressure on," said Onstead. "I guess you can say that there was defensive breakdown on their part, but I think we helped create it.

"I'm really pleased with our overall effort and it's a good launching pad for the next level," added Onstead.

In addition to the championship trophy presentation at the conclusion of the game, the 2001 all-tournament team was announced. Senior Sara Hunt, junior Michelle Wald and sophomore Nora Feddersen made the squad. Feddersen was also named the NorPac Tournament Most Valuable Player.

The Bears advance to the NCAA play-in game against Quinnipiac (Conn.). The Braves travel to Berkeley to battle Cal for the rights to an NCAA Tournament berth. The two teams will face-off Tuesday, Nov. 6 at 11 a.m. at Kleeberger Field.

Field Hockey Result at Kidd Brewer Stadium
Boone, N.C.

                1   2    Tot
Stanford        0   0    0
California      1   1    2

Goals:
First Half Scoring:
CAL - Lisa D'Anjou 15:20 (unassisted)
Second Half Scoring:
CAL - Maggie Grimes 5:27 (unassisted)

Shots: Stanford 4, California 6

Saves: Stanford (Rebecca Shapiro) 1, Cal (Emily Rowlen) - 3

Penalty Corners: Stanford 7, California -  4

Record: - Stanford 11-8, California - 13-4